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Practicalities of re-opening in late Spring 2021 (previously Autumn 2020) - or thereafter?

FionaM
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alison

alison

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But also, on the same page:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/417835/covid-19-arts-sector-funding-boost-lacks-a-plan-academic

 

""There's been the notion of pumping that extra little bit of cash into the arts sector, but no wider vision for the absolute importance that the arts have in rebuilding not just an economy but the mental health and wellbeing of a nation. 

"That's why I think at the end of the day that the boost yesterday is incredibly disappointing, not because of the size of the numbers, but because of the lack of vision, the lack of an opportunity ... and the lack of ability to draw the dots together and to say the arts have a vital part to play and this is how we're going to go about doing it."

 

Anyone want to bet the UK government will be able to do any better?

 

Thought not :(

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MJW

MJW

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6 minutes ago, alison said:

But also, on the same page:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/417835/covid-19-arts-sector-funding-boost-lacks-a-plan-academic

 

""There's been the notion of pumping that extra little bit of cash into the arts sector, but no wider vision for the absolute importance that the arts have in rebuilding not just an economy but the mental health and wellbeing of a nation. 

"That's why I think at the end of the day that the boost yesterday is incredibly disappointing, not because of the size of the numbers, but because of the lack of vision, the lack of an opportunity ... and the lack of ability to draw the dots together and to say the arts have a vital part to play and this is how we're going to go about doing it."

 

Anyone want to bet the UK government will be able to do any better?

 

Thought not :(

 

No probably not but governments are rarely that interested in the arts - when was the last time we had an interested arts minister - Gowrie in the 1980s, Lee in the late 60s? Top-down interventions from governments that "know best" don't usually make things better!

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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Birmingham Hippodrome issued a statement yesterday.  The theatre has already said that it will not reopen before 2nd November because it cannot viably reopen with social distancing measures.  Now the theatre is entering into a period of consultation over redundancies with the staff.  It's dreadfully sad:

 

https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/statement-from-birmingham-hippodrome-artistic-director-and-ceo-fiona-allan/?fbclid=IwAR2IVF3vzCGfjGv1mvKPoTw2TmYLQiTfnnOqcUUCtLUau7FjtHPCyRHo7Ko

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Richard LH

Richard LH

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2 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

What are people making of the Cultural Committee hearing this morning where these issues are being discussed?  

 

Hopefully the  Committee will  now put more pressure for  emergency funding on the Government. The Culture Minister (Claire Dinenage) seemed to be doing here best in this regard as well, in talks with the Treasury.

 

The high importance of the arts (and of all the subsidiary work offshoots that rely on the arts) to the UK economy, and to our social well-being, came across well, I thought. 

 

Apart from the urgent need for  interim financial help, what I got from Julian Bird (Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, who seemed a very sensible fellow) was that the real practical bugbear is not so much how to ensure performers are safe (he indicated strategies were being worked out for that). Rather, as long as  social distancing is needed, the question is how are audiences to be got back sitting in an auditorium in sufficient numbers for a production to be viable. Also, how to fill seats with the many foreign theatre visitors, when 14 day quarantines are in force on UK entry, although personally I don't see this measure as having a long life expectancy. 

 

There was relatively little discussion on alternative  practical measures that  might ease social distancing.  Julian  said even 1m distancing would only provide  about 30% filled seats as it meant every alternate row would be out, but this  seems rather pessimistic to me:  I wonder whether there could not be  staggering of seating in every row, and provision for closer groupings for family members?  Also, I don't think anyone mentioned the audience wearing face masks, which it seems we are now supposed to do anywhere where 2m social distancing is not possible, or other measures such as compulsory hand sanitising on entry,  or even forehead temperature checks. None of this is foolproof of course but it is all about minimising risks, against benefits.  

 

However  I was pleased that Claire Dinenage seemed to be pursuing this  issue with the health people, e.g. as to whether distancing needed to be as much, when not face to face. 

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Bruce Wall

Bruce Wall

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Thank you, Richard.  I took some of the same highlights as your good self.  Key I thought were the three items/plans specifically highlighted in Sam Mendes' FT article on Saturday - all championed by the three cultural specialists being interviewed - and all dealing with routes to ensure fiscal survival of both individual artists and cultural institutions for what seemed clearly destined to be a prolonged lull (including having the Government act as an 'angel/investor' for cultural initiatives, both commercial and otherwise).  Latterly - in the interview with the actual Government arm - the DCMS decision to focus ongoing support for Festival 2022 will i'm sure be welcomed by many.  The Minister did say there had been active debate as to whether that should continue.   

 

The Stage has just released a report on the hearing here.  

 

The much respected Theatre by the Lake has just announced that it will cut it's Xmas show (always critical for annual budgeting) and staff.  

 

The measures follow the announcement that the government is to phase out its Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has allowed companies to claim up to 80% of wages for staff put on paid leave. The scheme will end in October, with companies having to start paying national insurance and pension contributions from August and a percentage of the wages from September.  Theatre by the Lake has said public funding accounts for 20% of the venue’s turnover, making the venue heavily reliant on income from ticket sales.

   

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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capybara

capybara

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I was very grateful to Bruce for putting up the link. I watched most of the Select Committee session and am holding onto the mention of a package of measures being announced soon.

However, given that the department covers Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the needs of culture,'  and the subsets within it, are very different, from the other categories and from each other, I didn't exactly feel reassured about the future of ballet/dance companies being in the forefront of people's minds.

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Jane S

Jane S

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The Opera House in Copenhagen reopened on Sunday with a concert featuring the entire orchestra and a choir - it was filmed so you can see here what the arrangements look like. 

 

The stage is extended well into the stalls seating area and there is room behind the orchestra for the choir and soloists.

 

For the audience, alternate seats in every row are cordoned off. There was no interval.

 

On the same page there's a video showing Kasper Holten (the Theatre Chief) explaining how it's going to be - in very fast Danish but you can see the audience arriving and the cafe.

 

There's a page somewhere with the rules and restrictions - chiefly saying that you must arrive early as  the rows will be 'boarded' from the centre outwards so that no-one has to push past already seated people - easier there than at Covent Garden as there is only one block in the stalls -  odds and evens are on different sides so the seat numbers go

 

47 45 43 ..........................5 3 1 2 4 6 ............................44 46 48

 

The audeince seems enthusiastic and there's a standing ovation at the end - I guess that will happen everywhere at the first post-closure performance,

 

Would you go with an arrangement like that?

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Bruce Wall

Bruce Wall

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Thanks, Jane, for this.  I think in modern designed theatres with large lobbies and larger seats (than, say, British - or, indeed, Danish Victorian venues) this might be apt.  You could certainly see this attempted with, say, the Lowry Theatre in Greater Manchester, the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, The Bridge Theatre in London or at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff - or, indeed, in open air venues - such as the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - although that organisation has already cancelled the entirety of its 2020 Season.   I think it would be much more hazardous - certainly challenging - within the current climate - inside more historic venues/auditoriums.  

 

 

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Richard LH

Richard LH

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1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

Sorry to be a pedant, but it's Caroline Dinenage (or "Fred Dinenage's daughter" if you're from my neck of the woods).

 

Yes, no need to apologise, my mistake!  But I did wonder about the family connection....

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Richard LH

Richard LH

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1 hour ago, Jane S said:

For the audience, alternate seats in every row are cordoned off.

 

The video shows every row is used, albeit  with space restrictions, but no  complete closure of every other row. This looks like the  sort of arrangement  I mooted above. Personally, I would be fine  with this, in answer to your query Jane....although presumably it still means only 50%  attendance, and  how viable that will be would depend  on a whole range of other variables. 

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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3 hours ago, Bruce Wall said:

Thanks, Jane, for this.  I think in modern designed theatres with large lobbies and larger seats (than, say, British - or, indeed, Danish Victorian venues) this might be apt.  You could certainly see this attempted with, say, the Lowry Theatre in Greater Manchester, the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, The Bridge Theatre in London or at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff - or, indeed, in open air venues - such as the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - although that organisation has already cancelled the entirety of its 2020 Season.   I think it would be much more hazardous - certainly challenging - within the current climate - inside more historic venues/auditoriums.  

 

 

 

 

The Lowry is in the City of Salford.  I don't think it would be feasible as I don't find there to be much leg room between the rows.

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capybara

capybara

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11 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Birmingham Hippodrome issued a statement yesterday.  The theatre has already said that it will not reopen before 2nd November because it cannot viably reopen with social distancing measures.  Now the theatre is entering into a period of consultation over redundancies with the staff.  It's dreadfully sad:

 

https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/statement-from-birmingham-hippodrome-artistic-director-and-ceo-fiona-allan/?fbclid=IwAR2IVF3vzCGfjGv1mvKPoTw2TmYLQiTfnnOqcUUCtLUau7FjtHPCyRHo7Ko

 

I've only just registered the contents of this link.?

Where does tat leave BRB?

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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It leaves BRB with no Autumn season.  The best we can hope for is The Nutcracker, which opens at the end of November.

 

The Hippodrome hasn't said that it is closing altogether.  I expect it will be backroom staff, bar and restaurant staff and maybe fewer in the box office who will go.  I suppose the paid ushers will be replaced by volunteers.  More and more theatres seem to operate with a couple of duty managers and volunteer ushers.  The Lowry has always operated this way.

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alison

alison

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No, because it's technically the post which is redundant.  I believe there's something like a 6-month wait before a post can be reinstated - even if it's filled by a volunteer, I would think.  But I may be out of date on the redundancy regulations.

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bridiem

bridiem

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7 hours ago, alison said:

No, because it's technically the post which is redundant.  I believe there's something like a 6-month wait before a post can be reinstated - even if it's filled by a volunteer, I would think.  But I may be out of date on the redundancy regulations.

 

Though I think companies do sometimes find ways round this sort of thing by re-jigging job descriptions/functions so that they're not exactly reinstating the same post/s. 

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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48 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

Though I think companies do sometimes find ways round this sort of thing by re-jigging job descriptions/functions so that they're not exactly reinstating the same post/s. 

 

I know they do.  I was told my job was going.  I was fortunate, I managed to escape on an early retirement scheme rather than having to relocate geographically.  Two months after I had finished an ex-colleague announced on FB that he had been promoted and had a new job.  When I asked what it was and he described it, it was essentially my old job with a different title and subtly worded changes to the job description!!!

 

I didn't care because I had escaped!

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SheilaC

SheilaC

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We all need to contact our MPs, especially those of us living in Conservative constituencies, to remind them of the dangers exposed by the Commons Culture Select Committee.

I didn't feel that Caroline Dinenage was as effective as some people asserted yesterday, I thought the (Conservative) chair implied she wasn't pushing the Treasury hard enough. (I don't think of her as Fred D's daughter, but as the niece of my best friend when I was at junior school near Birmingham, so I knew Caroline's father, who was my friend Mavis's older brother; unfortunately we went to different secondary schools and  eventually lost touch).

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alison

alison

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I could wish they had extended the scope of that letter to cover more performing arts venues and companies/music groups in general, as they will be equally affected.  This is a time for related interest groups to come together, not contract around their narrower interests.

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Pulcinella

Pulcinella

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Just received an email to say the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff has cancelled all performances until 17th January 2021. Not many major dance companies go there (although BRB did perform there a few years ago) but all the big musicals go there, similar receiving house to the B'ham Hippodrome.

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Aruna S

Aruna S

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On 11/06/2020 at 19:42, Bruce Wall said:

If you are going to do restorative work/renovations this surely is the perfect period to do it.  Both the Garnier and Bastille will be closed through the winter for such programmes ...

 

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/news/stage-renovation-work-at-the-paris-opera-from-july-2020

Woe, woe woe! I hadn't seen anything about this, and have tickets for the Ring Cycle in November which is clearly not going to proceed as scheduled.

 

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